The quality of a solid stone worktop installation involves many factors. There is the stone itself: for granite, quality of polishing and resining, and for quartz, consistency of batches, proportion of plastic and other ingredients. We quality check all materials that come to us, and are quick to react to any issues that our customers have with their product.
Then there is the matter of manufacture and installation. Care in cutting and polishing the worktops and cutouts in our factory, and the same with upstands and other work done on site – these things make all the difference between a poor quality installation and a really professional fit. Our workshop lads and fitters are seasoned professionals, many of whom trained with us, with others joining us from other stone companies where they had served out their training.
But the very heart of the job is templating. It is the hinge point between stone selection and worktop installation, and everything depends on care and discipline at the stage of measuring up. Although it is possible to measure and cut in one visit on site, with no template stage, this means that cutting and polishing relies on power tools that can be put on a van and operated by hand. The use of large-scale precision saw and CNC cutting and polishing machinery in a fully-equipped workshop is only made possible if the measurements are brought from the customer’s kitchen to our factory – and accuracy in that process is critical. If the DIY fanatic’s motto is “measure twice, cut once” with a piece of deal, imagine the pressure to get it right when stone slabs worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds are being used.
For the last five years Affordable Granite has counted on the loyal and consistent service of Wayne, our template guy. Each year he visits many hundreds of customers, clocking up around 30 000 miles in the process. With a tight schedule to fulfil, he works his vehicle hard, and every so often we have to replace it. He is VERY happy with his new Ford Transit Connect – at last, he has air conditioning!
So – if you see this silver-grey Transit on the road, and hear Pink Floyd wafting from the windows, you will know it’s Wayne, on his way to measure up someone’s kitchen for granite, quartz or Dekton worktops. Wave a hello – and give us a call if your kitchen could do with properly fitted stone worktops!
Van liverie by Harlequin Signs.
Photography by Andrew King Photography
